San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-02-24
A PHANTOM BRIDE
BY the Author Of 1.-THE Ice CAR
NIvAL."
CHAPTER I.
IN THE STRAND.

4hC WY was WIFI
who, indeed, ever knew it otherwise
towards eight o'clock of frosty De-
cember evening, when in less than
eight-and-forty hours the arrival of
hOary Father Observation-Disclosures
everwelcome annual guest-may be
confidently anticipated.
Moreover, he promised to make his
appearance this season in the full piano.
ply of frosty splendor. The stars twin
killed. like gems tonight in the clear
cloudless sky; pendent icicles, clear as
crystal, glistened from every available
spout and overhanging cave; even the
City pavements were, for once in
way, thickly-coated over, like slices of
colossal bride-cake, with hard-trodden
frozen snow, and men, women and chill
dren murmured one to another, as they
rubbed their hands or drew their COM
forters tight and tighter yet about their
ears, that there seemed indeed at
length some prospect of enjoying
Christmas of the good old sort, as in
''the dear old times"
Through the Fleet-street crowd tall
emaciated woman pushes along as best
she may an old, weather-beaten, dilapi-
dated piano-Organ, mounted upon
wheels. Very close to the curb she
and carts and horses hoofs which men
ace her in terribly close proximity on
the one hand, and of the frowning pc
destrians and gruff-voiced myrmidons
of the law on the other, of whom she
stands, indeed, in yet deeper awe.
This woman wears a patched and
frayed threadbare velvet bodice, with
furnished metal buttons, and some
strings of cOlored beads about her
throat. Large brass rings in her ears,
and a scarlet cotton handkerchief fold
ed cornerwise across her head, are
vaguely designed to invest the wretched
creature with some aroma of foreign
interest; but she none the less first saw
the light in miserable purlieu of Shelf
field, spent her infancy in the gutter,
childhood, youth and middle-age in due
course in the streetS-the only home,
indeed, which it is ever likely she will
know (unless she varies existence by
spell of the union, hospital or jail, ere
she shuffles off the mortal coil, and with
it red handkerchief, beads, and other
foreign attributes all at once.
Yet is it the trick of her trade to re-
spond, "T'ankee, t'ankee!" as she drops
a curtsey on receipt of a halfpenny
from the generous passer-by; and, If
contents herself by an incoherent muir
muir of, "Me no talkee English, sarl" or,
"Mees;" which species of verbal Chi
canery presumably conduces to larger
profits than straightforward reply in
that broad Yorkshire dialect which is
her native tongue.
The woman stops at last and glances
round; then, "Gretal Gretal" she Kisses
in a low peculiar monotone, hast a
mind t. be left loafin' heer? or WILT
keep straight lOng-side?"
Thus apostrophised, lean impish
figure (which had come to standstil
some few PAGES in the rear beside the
barrow of lame vendor of hot chest
nuts), gave a sudden start as though a
pistOl-shot had been discharged in dan
gerous proximity to its ear; then sham
bled sulkily towards the woman, its
forefnger up to the knuckle in its
mouth, its eyes still directed lOngingly
towards the glowing charcoal-stoVe,
with the tin-tray of charred treasures
supported above.
The woman waited until the child's
head was within convenient distance Of
her arm when she struck out straight
lance, and 'landed fierce backhander"
Ou IilC hdpC VI bhO III hSShs
Then bitter cry escaped the poor
blue lips, as much, nay surely more,
from bewilderment than pain; for pain
Greta was well used to bear in silence;
but now she positively reeled, half
stunned by the unexpectedness of the
blow.
"Wheer's tn tambourine?' growled
the woman.
The girl held up this instrument of
warfare, which emitted tinkling pro-
test ere it was tucked away again be-
meath her arm. "Just look wheer'st
goin,' or TIL be wurser fur ye," the
woman further supplemented, and then
pushed on as before; the girl-defiant
now, whilst her ear still tingled-fol-
lowed reluctantly.
Immediately in front of the Frivolity
Theatre however, once again she
paused; a brougham and pair had
drawn up before the doors, and Greta's
eyes caught so dazzling an apparition
in satin and lace within, that she forth
with lodged under the very noses Of
the horses, and took up her stand OPEN
eyed, open-nouthed, beside the snowy
wheel-regardless of the magisterial
wave of stout policeman's arm, in
tended as peremptory Move on"
1Hou OuL Sno SIepPtu. 'udI IdudnG
being, with trailing silken draperies
and floating ribbons narrowly escaping
contact with the miry curb; her golden
! plaits, in which great diamond butter
flies cleaned and glistened, seeming to
weave a nimbus around her queenly
head, the perfume of the flowers in her
! hand casting subtle fragrance on the
surrounding frosty air.
Until this vision of loneliness was
lost to view GTeta remained literally